Police will use one of the vehicles on loan to the city. The mayor will use the other to tout its financial and environmental benefits.

Mansfield -  Click HERE for VIDEO

During the height of the gas crunch this year, when prices were hovering at almost $5 a gallon, West Mansfield engineer David Dugas was riding to New Bedford and back for 60 cents a day, in style.

Instead of stopping at gas stations, Dugas breezes by them on a shiny, cranberry red Vectix scooter, all the while logging data from the scooter’s electronic innards onto a laptop that sits in the storage compartment.

The two-year-old scooter is only the second off the production line of the Vectrix manufacturing plant in Poland, but production and sales are escalating along with gas prices. Dugas works at the New Bedford plant that repairs and tunes up the new Vectrix scooters, and says the facility will eventually begin to build them from scratch.

“It’s probably going to take off in cities,” he said, because of the congestion and frustration of trying to get around, but added for local commuters who have a workplace within 25 miles or so, a Vectrix would be the perfect vehicle, provided, of course, they have access to an electrical outlet once they get to work.

A charge from a completely depleted battery takes about four hours, not counting a cool down period. That’s about 30 cents in Mansfield’s municipal electricity prices.

Customers range from the average commuter to the police departments of New York City and New Bedford; marathon fans may have seen the scooters at this year’s Boston Marathon, fitted with handlebars on the rear so cameramen could sit backwards and film the runners. Dugas and his son rode along with the race.

The Vectrix, at about $9,000, is several hundred dollars cheaper than it was when its first model was introduced two years ago, and Dugas said a less expensive model is on the way.

Dugas began working for the company in 1998, when the idea for the electric scooter was only a gleam.

“I did all the electrical work,” he said. “All they gave me was a big grey bucket of wires.”

Now he fine-tunes and rethinks, with the help of his scooter and its attached laptop — a traveling laboratory of sorts.

“I get home, and look at the data, and figure out what’s going on,” he said.

He and his wife, Wendy, both work for the company, she at the Middletown R.I. corporate headquarters.

The ride, even for a nervous novice passenger, is smooth and quiet, conversation audible despite the helmet.

“The New Bedford police like them, because they have a lot of waterfront parks, and they can ride them through without disturbing people,” he said, pointing out the vehicle of choice for most motorcycle police is a noisy, smoky Harley Davidson.

Now that icy weather has set in, with Mansfield even colder than the city in Poland where Dugas spent time recently, overseeing Vectrix production details, the scooter is enjoying a winter break in the driveway. But for anything over about 40 degrees, the Vectrix is a working commuter vehicle. Dugas has a windproof lap blanket that covers his legs, and a rain suit for storms. Rain apparently doesn’t bother the scooter, or its rider.

“You can go 25 miles flat out at 62 mph,” he explained, “or up to 70 at lower speeds.”

Weight also affects how much ground the rider can cover on a charge. Dugas manages the 31-mile commute to New Bedford at about 40 miles per hour, mostly on back roads.

The Vectrix is comparable to the 400 cc “maxi scooters” made by Honda or Yamaha. A backwards twist of the right throttle decelerates the speed, making the brake unnecessary in most situations. The deceleration sends power back into the battery, and like the hybrid automobiles, it only makes sound when moving. The brightly lit space-age dashboard indicates the strength of the charge and the distance traveled. It even backs up.

But perhaps the most attractive feature is “green” — the dramatic reduction in the carbon footprint that can be realized by adding an electric vehicle to the household fleet. An interactive graph allows the visitor to the Vectrix web site (www.vectrix.com) to calculate what that number might be.

Using an optimistic estimate of $2.50 a gallon for gas, the Vectrix adds 45.6 tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere over five years, compared to 357 tons for a sedan, and 560 for an SUV. With a total carbon footprint of 35.5, it easily outstrips a gas scooter, at 79.5. The gas-guzzler SUV’s end up with a footprint of 436. The total cost per mile comes out at 11 cents, compared to 72 cents for the SUV.

The cool factor cannot be ignored either — the bike is flashy, shiny, and quiet, an attention-getter and a conversation piece — it accelerates quickly, and is really, really fun to ride.

“They’re practically maintenance free,” said Dugas. “No oil changes, no chains to lube.”

Want one? The closest dealer of the 80 now in the U.S. is in Somerville — Riverside Motorsports.

Meredith Holford can be reached at m-holford@comcast.net

Lothian & Borders Police replace petrol patrol car with Vectrix electric maxi-scooter.

Click HERE to view full story.

Formula 1 personalities Eddie Jordan, Damon Hill, Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella all ride a Vectrix.

Click HERE to view full story.

States of California, Georgia and West Virginia are offering significant consumer incentives toward the purchase of the Vectrix.

$1500 Rebate in California

On February 22, 2008, CARB issued a press release announcing that they are offering up to $5,000 in rebates to Californians who purchase alternative fuel and electric vehicles.

Under the Fueling Alternatives rebate program administered by the California Center for Sustainable Energy, $1.62 million in funding will be dispensed. The program is part of $25 million of overall funding that came out of Assembly Bill 1811 -- authored by Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles) and passed in 2007 -- which promotes alternative fuel infrastructure and vehicles. The rebates are available for qualifying vehicles that are purchased or leased between May 24, 2007 and March 31, 2009, unless funding runs out first.

Rebates up to $3,000 are available for Honda and BAF Technologies compressed natural gas vehicles, $1,500 for the Vectrix zero emission maxi-scooter, and between $950 and $1,300 for certain models of the GEM neighborhood electric vehicle. Up to $5,000 is available for full-function zero emission vehicles once they are added to the list of eligible vehicles.

To receive a rebate, vehicles must be ARB-certified (with the exception of zero emission maxi-scooters), comply with all federal motor vehicle safety standards, and meet a minimum manufacturer warranty. ARB staff are anticipating most of the rebates to be taken up by consumers who have bought eligible vehicles since last May, and have been waiting for the state funding to be allocated before submitting their rebate applications.

Income tax credit in Georgia

Georgia offers an income tax credit of up to 20% of the cost to purchase or lease a ZEV, or $5,000, whichever is less. Go to our Vectrix dealer in Georgia.

Facts and Forms

LEV/ZEV and Electric Vehicle Charger Tax Credit Fact Sheet
Electric Vehicle Charger (EVC) Certification Form For State Tax Credit
LEV / ZEV Certification Form For State Tax Credit

Income tax credit in West Virginia

The State of West Virginia will help you defer the cost of a motor vehicle that operates on alternative fuel by providing you a tax credit against your income taxes. Download this PDF for more details.

• Based on 15,000 miles a year, an average car emits 3.17 tons of CO2 a year, a motorcycle emits an average of 0.9 tons, and a Vectrix just 0.33 tons.
• By replacing one car 70 percent of the time with a Vectrix, a household can reduce CO2 emission by five tons a year.   
•     Engineered to provide an eco-friendly, powerful alternative for commuting and recreational needs, Vectrix:
• Reaches top speed of 62 mph and offers acceleration from 0-50 mph in 6.8 seconds.
• Has an average range of 30-55 miles on a single charge.
• Offers minimal maintenance, simple operation and low noise.
• Weighs 515 pounds, has a 60-inch wheelbase and 30-inch seat height, seats two comfortably and is highway legal.